


Breakout

by Greenlady



Series: Echo Valley [8]
Category: Smallville
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-17
Updated: 2012-04-17
Packaged: 2017-11-03 20:16:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/385498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greenlady/pseuds/Greenlady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This story contains a scene of rape.  If you want to know more before reading, please check the note at the end.  In fact, I seriously suggest that you check out the note at the end.</p>
    </blockquote>





	Breakout

**Author's Note:**

> This story contains a scene of rape. If you want to know more before reading, please check the note at the end. In fact, I seriously suggest that you check out the note at the end.

The opera was Tosca.

Lex looked wonderful in his tuxedo. Clark hoped he looked half as good, but didn’t count on it. The important thing was that Lex was back to his old self. Literally.

After a difficult pregnancy, which seemed to go on for decades, but was truly only the usual nine months, Lex had given birth to their daughter, Lena. A few days later they had travelled to the Fortress, and Lex had been safely returned to his usual male form. Clark wasn’t sure which of them was more relieved. 

Lena, however, was a joy. Tiny, and delicate looking, her eyes were commanding. She already had both Lex and himself tangled in her soft red hair, and wrapped around her tiniest finger. Connor adored her as well, which didn’t surprise Lex. ‘He’s my son,’ he had commented. ‘Of course he loves his baby sister.’ Clark thought Lex’s eyes looked sad, when he said this. For Lex, family and deep friendships were everything, and his continued estrangement from his father was a source of constant suffering. 

Clark’s Mom and Dad joined them in the lobby, carrying drinks, and Lex smiled. Both of them had been awed by the events of the last year, if a bit confused, and both of them were thrilled about their new granddaughter. 

Across the lobby, stood a couple whose grace and beauty were attracting a fair number of envious glances. The man was tall and dark, the woman blonde and graceful. He looked like a playboy, she looked like a ballerina. Lex followed Clark’s stare and chuckled to himself. ‘Bruce,’ he said.

The other man seemed to hear him, and turned. His eyebrows rose in surprise, then he offered the blonde woman his arm, and escorted her over. 

‘Natascha,’ he said. ‘May I present my old friend, Lex Luthor.’

‘Natascha! The prima ballerina of the Russian National Ballet! I am so honoured to meet you,’ said Lex. ‘Allow me to present Martha and Jonathan Kent. And this is my fiancé, Clark Kent.’ Lex nodded at the other man. ‘Bruce,’ he said. ‘It’s good to see you again.’

‘Likewise,’ said Bruce Wayne. ‘And we meet at an auspicious time, it seems. Natascha and I have just become engaged, as well.’

One of Lex’s elegant eyebrows ventured heavenward. ‘Indeed?’ he said, and seemed about to say more, but at that moment the warning bell chimed. 

‘We should find our seats,’ said Natascha. ‘Performers hate it when audiences straggle in when the curtain is about to go up.’

‘I don’t blame them,’ said Lex. ‘Shall we meet again during the intermission? I’d love to know what you’re both doing here in the wilds of Vancouver.’

‘That’s a long story,’ said Bruce. ‘Later?’

‘Later,’ Lex agreed.

*******************

Last night, Lex had given Clark a long lecture – Lexture? – about opera, and he’d let him ramble on because it had been so good to have his own Lex back. During the last few weeks of the pregnancy, Lex had been in constant pain, but determined to hold out as long as possible to give the baby the best possible chance at survival. Even after the birth, and the reversal to his natural form, Lex had just not been himself. Quiet and still. Too quiet and still. At times he’d seem to be listening to something that Clark couldn’t hear, and when Clark asked him, he’d said, ‘I’m listening to the music of the spheres.’ Clark hadn’t asked again.

But last night, he’d talked and talked, as if something buried inside him had been set free once more. He’d talked about Puccini. ‘Not my favourite opera composer, Clark, but the older I get, the more I appreciate him. He wrote for fame and fortune, you know, but still, he made great art.’ He’d talked about ‘Tosca’. ‘Tosca is through-composed. That means that the entire opera is connected from the first note to the last. It’s not just a series of scenes, with a little connecting music in between. ‘ Finally, he’d talked about his love of opera in general, and how much he longed to share that love with Clark. ‘Just surrender to it, Clark,’ he said. ‘For me.’ 

And so, for Lex, Clark had agreed. He’d forsaken his attitude of martyrdom, and pretended to look forward to the experience. He suspected Lex knew the truth, but somehow his ‘surrender’ brought them closer. 

And now, he seemed to be genuinely enjoying the opera, which was weird. Lately, he’d noticed that his proficiency with languages was growing, and now, suddenly, he could understand what the singers were singing. But also, the music itself – the score – began to make sense to him. He began to listen to what the music was saying, not just the words.

And then they were at the end of the first act. ‘Go, Tosca,’ the evil Scarpia repeats, again and again. He sings that Tosca’s beauty has made him forget God. And so, he has entangled Tosca in his plot to kill her lover, and make her his own. Tosca’s jealousy has made her an easy target, but…

‘But Cavaradossi! He lies to her!’ he complained to Lex at the intermission. ‘Or he doesn’t tell her all the truth, anyway. So he leaves her vulnerable. It’s not all her fault. Well, it’s not her fault at all, it’s Scarpia’s, but you know what I mean.’

‘’Yes,’ said Lex, solemnly. ‘Lies, and omissions of truth. They breed pain and suffering, though people usually think they’re making things better.’

‘What about the adage that the truth hurts?’ asked Natascha. ‘Should everyone always tell the blunt truth, all the time?’

‘Good question,’ said Lex. ‘But sometimes the truth is necessary. Like now. I’d really like to know the reason you two are here in Vancouver. It’s a bit away from your normal haunts, isn’t it Wayne?’

Bruce Wayne studied his drink for a moment, before answering. ‘Do you have to get back to that island of yours right away?’ he asked, finally. ‘Could we get together after the opera? Tonight or tomorrow?’

‘Tonight is fine,’ said Lex, as the warning bell began to ring for the second act. ‘We’re staying at our house in West Vancouver. Do you have your own car with you? Great, then follow us home, and we’ll talk.’

‘What’s that about?’ Clark whispered to Lex as they settled into their seats.

Lex was silent for a moment, then he whispered back, ‘Bruce is up to something. God help us.’ And he refused to say anything more.

 

*****

They made quite a procession on the drive home. Lex and Clark in the first car, Martha and Jonathan following, and Bruce and Natascha bringing up the rear. 

‘I like Wayne’s Lamborghini,’ said Lex. ‘I think I’m going to get one of my own, but in black, or grey. Red is too… vulgar for me.’

‘Are you really old friends?’ asked Clark.

‘Well, we’re friends, but not all that old,’ Lex replied. ‘We’re only in our early thirties.’

‘Lex.’

‘Yes, we’re friends. We were in school together, and Wayne didn’t join in the bullying. He’s not an enemy, ergo, he’s a friend.’

Clark thought that was a bleak definition of friendship, but didn’t comment. He went back to chatting about the opera, instead.

‘Did you really enjoy it so much?’ asked Lex, after a while.

‘Yes, I did. I’m beginning to understand why you like it so much. Maybe my gay genes are finally kicking in?’

‘God! Will I be able to survive it?’

‘Don’t worry. I’ll try to control them. But you were crying at the end.’

‘Don’t tell anyone, I’m warning you now.’

‘My lips are sealed.’

Lex pulled up into the driveway, Martha following. Bruce Wayne and Natascha arrived a moment later, looking both mystified and impressed. 

‘This house is poised on a cliff,’ Natascha observed. ‘It looks like it’s about to take flight.’

‘We should hurry inside then, before it does,’ said Lex.

When they were all seated before a roaring fire, with drinks in their hands, Lex sat down beside Bruce Wayne and turned his piercing gray eyes upon him. ‘So, why are you here?’ he asked, quietly. ‘The Vancouver Opera is a highly regarded company, but hardly up there with La Scala.’

‘I thought the production was excellent,’ said Wayne. ‘But no, that was not my purpose in coming here. We… we came to see you.’

‘You came to see me? Bruce, I’m flattered, but I’m spoken for.’

Wayne smiled gently. ‘So I understand. And you have two children, as well. I’ve heard interesting things about their birth.’

‘So you’re here to see the freak?’ Lex’s voice was carefully colourless, and all the more chilling for that. 

Wayne didn’t flinch. ‘No. How could you think such a thing? Among the interesting stories about you lately, is a rumour that you’re starting some kind of academy, for the meteor mutants.’

‘Possibly,’ said Lex. ‘What is your interest in that?’

‘I’m very interested,’ said Natascha.

‘And why is that?’

‘Because I’m a mutant, myself.’

*****

‘We know that most of the meteors fell in this area, but a few fell to Earth in my land,’ Natascha explained. ‘At first, the meteors were ignored, because they were so few, and because my land is so poor. No one cared what happened to a handful of peasants. Until, that is, the peasants began going rogue. ‘

‘Once the mutations became obvious, the government took notice,’ said Wayne.

‘I can believe that,’ said Clark.

‘The mutants…disappeared,’ added Natascha. ‘I was lucky, because my mutations were not so clear and obvious. At least at first, I barely noticed them myself, and so I was able to hide them.’

‘Might I ask….’

‘What my mutations are? Well, for a start….’

Natascha stood up, and kicked off her shoes. She stretched a little, seemingly out of habit, because all good dancers stretch before a routine. She ran lightly to the end of the long room, turned, spun on her toes and rose into the air. She rose and rose until she was touching the high ceiling, and then just hovered there, looking down and laughing. She did a few somersaults in mid-air, then landed lightly on her toes, before returning to her seat, amidst a torrent of applause from everyone present.

‘Brava!’ Lex added as a comment.

‘You might imagine, I have not seen fit to display this talent in public, as of yet.’

‘Good choice,’ said Lex.

‘In Russia, mutants have no rights,’ she observed. ‘But here in Canada, they do, as I understand it.’

‘We do,’ said Lex. ‘And Clark and I do want to create an Academy for our people. I’ve been thinking that our abilities should be studied, but not in an invasive way, as if we were lab specimens. We should control the studies to a certain extent… though we need some outside observers as well, to help maintain some objectivity.’

‘I would like to move to Canada, to become a citizen if possible. And I would like to teach at your Academy. I could teach dance, and… and the Russian language. Those would be useful subjects, would they not?’

Lex smiled at her hopeful expression. ‘Very helpful,’ he said. ‘But if the two of you are planning to marry….’

‘We still plan this, but our plans are complicated,’ said Natascha. ‘I’m hoping to persuade Bruce to move to Canada. He’s adamant that he must stay in Gotham City, for reasons of his own. I’m hoping I can commute back and forth and spend time here and in Gotham, and tour with a company, and all this imagined activity makes my head hurt, but it is exciting, is it not?’

Lex smiled even more broadly. ‘It is exciting, and your life is almost as complex as my own. You should stay in Vancouver for a few days, and we’ll discuss my plans for the Academy.’

‘Mr. Wayne?’ Clark dared to ask. ‘Are you a mutant, as well?’

‘Not exactly,’ said Bruce Wayne.

*****

‘You’re being really mysterious,’ said Clark, as he and Lex settled into bed together for the night. ‘What do you think Bruce Wayne is up to, anyway? You think he’s some kind of criminal, or….’

‘Quite the opposite,’ Lex murmured. ‘And keep your voice down.’

‘You think he’s some kind of vigilante?’ Clark asked, in a normal tone of voice, to annoy Lex.

‘I think he’s THE vigilante.’

‘THE? You mean Ba….’ Lex closed his hand over Clark’s mouth, before he could finish the name.

‘Yes, I think that, but I have no proof,’ Lex whispered in his ear. ‘I don’t want to be caught gossiping about him, if he’s skulking around listening to us.’

‘Huh! Well, he strikes me as a typical playboy for the most part. But you know him better, I guess.’

‘Not better, just longer,’ said Lex. ‘But there was that time a few years ago, when he disappeared. There were rumours about some time in Tibet, and other rumours that he was dead. Then he showed up alive, and right after that….’

‘Ba!’ said Clark.

‘Exactly,’ said Lex. ‘But if he is… Ba, and he’s here to talk about our Academy, that’s interesting, isn’t it?’

‘In what way?’

‘I’ve been thinking about all the costumed vigilantes around these days, including present company. I think you all need some kind of regulation, before something goes wrong, and the general populace turns against you. For the record, I don’t like vigilantes.’

‘I know,’ said Clark. ‘But do you really think Ba is doing his vigilante thing on us right now? Spying I mean?’

‘Maybe,’ Lex allowed.

Clark pulled him closer, to sit astride his naked lap. ‘Let’s give him something to spy on,’ he said, and Lex made no attempt to disagree.

*****  
‘Greetings , my son,’ said Jor-El, as they entered the Fortress. ‘Are you here for help in fathering another child?’

‘No,’ Clark replied. ‘We have two. That’s enough for now, I think.’

‘I don’t agree,’ said Jor-El.

‘Well, Lex agrees, and I agree, so you’re outnumbered. Father, we’re here to do a bit of research. You have a great fund of information about other civilizations, and about organizations like the Lanterns. ‘

‘The Green Lantern Corp, I believe they’re called,’ said Lex.

‘Why don’t you want more children?’ asked Jor-El.

‘What? Who said I didn’t? I just gave birth a few months ago, and I’m not anyone’s brood mare. If I were a woman, I still wouldn’t be planning on another baby right away. Why am I even discussing this with you? It’s our business. Clark’s and mine. Get that? Good. Now, the Green Lantern Corp, and other such organizations. Do you have information on them?’

A spire of crystal in the Fortress array lit up. It chimed, too. ‘Try that one,’ suggested Jor-El.

‘Thanks. I will.’ Lex picked up the crystal. ‘Listen, Jor-El. Never think of me as a pawn in your little games. I’m no one’s pawn. You treated me like one before, and I forgave you for my own reasons. I love Clark. His interests are important to me. I love children, as well -- very much so. I want Clark’s children. And so, for those reasons, I`ve played along with you so far. Don’t. Push. Your. Luck. I’ll be in the plane, Clark. Don’t keep me waiting too long.’ Lex turned on his heel, and stalked out of the Fortress.

‘Why do you put up with him?’ asked Jor-El.

‘He’s worth it. Don’t push your luck,’ Clark replied. ‘I like him more than I like you. What do you know about Bruce Wayne? Lex thinks he’s Batman.’

Jor-El hummed to itself for a moment, then replied, ‘The probabilities are very high. ‘

‘There. You see? Lex is as smart as you are. Maybe more so, because he came to that conclusion without your data banks and computer brain.’

‘I’ll consider your theory,’ said Jor-El, and then he faded out.

Lara appeared, smiling and welcoming. She held out her arms to offer a motherly hug. ‘Why did your dear Lex disappear?’ she asked. ‘I wanted to see him.’

‘He gets impatient these days,’ said Clark. ‘Next time we come, I’ll persuade him to stay longer.’

‘Good,’ said Lara. ‘Now, tell me all about yourself, and what you’ve been doing.’

‘Well, I’m still being this Superman character,’ said Clark. ‘Lex thinks it’s all silly, but he’s still supportive, and Lena…. Lena is perfect. We’ll bring her to see you again, next time we come….’

It took him half an hour to get back to Lex. But Lex was in the plane waiting, despite his deplorable tendency to take off on his own when Clark got too involved with his father and the Fortress.

‘Is everything okay?’ Clark asked.

‘Sure. Why shouldn’t it be?’

‘Don’t let Jor-El get to you. I suppose he means well.’

‘You think so? I love Connor and Lena. I want more children some day. But I can’t give up my own life to keep on breeding to satisfy….’

‘I know Lex. I understand. You don’t have to justify yourself to me.’

‘It wouldn’t be fair to the children, either. Say, in another five or six years, when Lena is ready for Kindergarten? Tell Jor-El I’ll be ready then. Okay?

‘Okay,’ said Clark.

‘Then, let’s get back to civilization. I want to study this crystal. The Lanterns intrigue me.’

 

*****

Lex’s jet landed at YVR, where a limo was waiting to take him back to West Vancouver. Clark had wanted to go back to Thetis Island instead, but Lex was adamant.

‘I have a lot of business to catch up on,’ he said. ‘Tess is a wonderful manager, but my companies need my personal input once in a while. You could have just flown back on your own, you know.’

‘I know, but I like to spend time with you,’ said Clark.

‘I like to spend time with you, too. But I like to spend time with LexCorp, as well.’

‘LexCorp is just a business. Just a thing. You spend too much time on it.’

‘Too much time? What are you talking about, Clark. You sound like Jor-El. What did he say to you in there, after I left?’

‘That’s none of your business,’ said Clark.

‘Ordinarily, I’d agree with you, but in this case…. Never mind. Look, we’re home. I want to plug the crystal into your reader, okay? Let’s download some information about the Green Lantern Corp, and pick up some ideas. I’ll catch up on business the next couple of days, and go home on the weekend. How does that sound?’

‘Stop patronizing me,’ said Clark.

‘Stop what? Are you feeling okay, Clark? You don’t sound like yourself.’

‘I’m fine. I’m just fed up with the way you put me down, and disagree with everything I say.’

‘I do not!’

‘Yes you do. You did it right then. And today, when we went to the Fortress?‘

‘What about it?’

‘You insisted on flying in the jet. Why didn’t you just let me take you there? It would have saved so much time. But you need to be independent. You don’t trust me, do you?’

‘No,’ said Lex. ‘I don’t.’ He got out of the limo, and slammed the car door in Clark’s face, before stalking to the house and closing the front door behind him. He took a deep breath, and laughed a little to himself. It was a stupid argument, but men were like that. Especially young men. Then he laughed out loud, as he realized he was thinking like a woman. I think I spent too long in female form, he thought. I need practice being a total dickhead….

His thought was interrupted by a crash of breaking glass, as the great window overlooking the sea was shattered. He ran into the sitting room to see what had happened, and was confronted by Clark, his eyes blazing, his face red with rage.

‘Clark! What’s wrong?’ Lex started to say, but he barely got one word out before Clark grabbed him, and slammed him against the wall. ‘Clark?’ he gasped, again.

‘Shut up,’ Clark explained.

*****

Lex had never been afraid of Clark. Even when Clark was angry at him, there had always been a connection there, man-to-man, a realization that Lex was a human being with his own needs and desires and thoughts and opinions. Lex had never been a…a thing to Clark, an object to be picked up and tossed around. No matter what Lex said, no matter how much they disagreed, or how pig-headed Lex might get -- according to Clark -- he had never been treated like Clark’s enemy. Until now.

‘Shut up!’ Clark roared again. He slammed Lex against the wall a second time and a third, knocking his breath from his body, so he could barely make a sound, but he tried. He tried to ask what Clark thought he was doing. He tried to tell him to stop, think, and they’d discuss this calmly like adults, and then if Clark wanted to have hot, angry sex, to settle their differences, they could do that too. Lex wasn’t afraid of violence. He didn’t like it, but he wasn’t afraid of it. He and Clark had often had disagreements that ended with violent sex. They’d done some role playing, where one of them pretended to be the other’s slave. It was all just clean fun. 

This wasn’t.

Clark picked him up like a toy, and carried him into the bedroom. He tossed him down on the bed and started to tear off his clothes, like he was undressing a doll. He unzipped his own pants and pulled Lex’s legs apart, as if Lex had no feelings, no say in what was happening. As if Lex were just an object to be moved around and bent around to suit Clark’s desires. Clark probed between Lex’s legs, finding the entrance there, the opening which he had often kissed and caressed, and penetrated with love. But now, he shoved his cock into that entrance without any preparation, ignoring Lex’s cry of pain and fury.

Clark began to thrust, glaring down into Lex’s face, without any of the love he’d always revealed when they fucked before. He lifted Lex from the bed, and shifted him up so that he could slam Lex’s head against the headboard, again and again, screaming at him, about his business, and how it was more important to Lex than he was. ‘I’m important, Lex. I’m important,’ He screamed while he thrust. When he came, with one last thrust, Lex blacked out for a moment, from the pain.

When he came around, Clark was lying beside him, still holding one of Lex’s arms, still vibrating with anger. ‘You turned me into nothing, all for your business,’ he hissed. ‘Did I hurt you?’

‘Yes,’ said Lex. ‘You did.’

‘Good. I wanted you to know what it felt like to be treated like that. I wanted you to feel pain like I did.’

‘Let go of me,’ said Lex.

‘No. You don’t tell me what to do. I’ll let you go when I’m ready.’

‘I think all your power has gone to your head. You’re starting to think you’re God, now?’

‘Shut up,’ said Clark. ‘Don’t blame this on me.’

‘You come crashing in here, throw me around and rape me….’

‘That wasn’t rape!’ Clark screamed. ‘You deserved it. It’s all your fault. And besides, you wanted it.’

‘Wanted it?’ Lex managed to twist around in Clark’s grasp enough to turn and look at him. ‘What gave you the idea I wanted it?’

‘You didn’t struggle. You didn’t say no. This wasn’t rape. It’s all your fault.’

‘Let go of my arm,’ said Lex.

‘Fine,’ said Clark. ‘If you want to be petulant about it.’

‘Petulant,’ said Lex, softly, turning the word over in his mouth, like something Clark had shoved in there, and he was getting ready to spit out. ‘Petulant!’ he spat.

Lex got out of bed, wincing a little, but doing his best to hide it. He wasn’t about to give Clark the satisfaction of knowing how much he’d hurt him. 

‘Where are you going?’ asked Clark.

‘To the bathroom,’ Lex replied. He shut the bathroom door, and turned on the taps, making a few retching noises as a cover. Then he exited the other side of the room, into the hall. It was unlikely that Clark had his superhearing turned on right now. 

Once, long ago, Clark had insisted that Lex have protection against him, just in case he became infected by red Kryptonite or something equally toxic. So, Lex had designed a gun, with bullets made of green Kryptonite. He’d never used it, but he always had it with him. It moved with him, from residence to residence, always being stored in the safe. ‘Safe,’ thought Lex. How ironic. The Kryptonite gun was safely stored away when he’d needed it most. Quickly, he opened the safe, and took out the lead-lined box. He opened the box, took out a clip and slammed it home. 

‘Lex?’ called Clark. ‘What are you doing in there?’

Lex ran back into the bathroom. ‘Nothing,’ he said. He raised the gun, preparing himself. The next moment, the door was ripped off its hinges, and Lex fired, again and again and again.

*****

For long, untold ages, Lex stood looking down at the body on his bathroom floor. It didn’t move. It didn’t twitch. Lex thought it was probably dead, but couldn’t be sure. He’d never fired Kryptonite bullets at… that before, so he may not have actually killed it. But he wasn’t going to go any closer to check. 

It didn’t seem to be breathing, at least….

After another age, he moved, carefully, backing up, back through the door to the hall, back to the safe. He loaded another clip into his gun, and then went searching for a robe to put on, so he wouldn’t be naked and completely vulnerable if… it woke up again. He wanted something to drink, but didn’t dare touch anything alcoholic. He needed his reflexes to be as fast as possible, and so he made coffee. Then he sat down to think.

What was he going to do? He’d just shot… him. Maybe killed him. How was he going to explain it? My lover raped me, officer. Your honour, my lover…. Yes, his money would buy him the best defence team possible, and it was unlikely he’d spend any time behind bars, but the horror and the shame of it would hang over his life forever. And then there were….

Oh, my God, he thought. The children. 

And then, as if summoned by his thought, Connor appeared in the broken window, staring in at Lex, his face twisted in fear. ‘Mama? What happened?’

‘What the hell are you doing here?’ Lex shouted, finally losing control. ‘You’re supposed to be at home, where you belong.’

‘I heard you… I knew you were frightened. I came to help, Mama. Don’t be angry. What’s wrong?’

‘Nothing’s wrong. It’s none of your business. Go home. Oh, God, no. You can’t go flying back all that way alone. Connor, listen to me. Go down to the beach and wait for me. Don’t come back in here, don’t talk to anyone, just wait there for me. Understand?’

‘Yes, but Mama, where’s Daddy? Why isn’t he here helping you?’

‘I don’t know where your daddy is, Connor. Just do as I say. Now!’

‘Yes, Mama. But I want Daddy. When’s he coming home?’

And then, before Lex could say another word… he… appeared in the doorway from the bathroom. Staggering, skin pale green, covered in blood. 

‘Daddy!’ said Connor, running to him and putting his arms around him. ‘You’re hurt. Were you fighting a monster?’

No, thought Lex. He is the monster. And how am I going to explain that to our child?

‘Clark,’ he said. ‘Put Connor down. Sit over there. Sit there and don’t move, understand?’

‘Mama? Why are you pointing a gun at Daddy?’

‘I believe I told you to get out of here and go down to the beach. Why haven’t you obeyed me? I’m not joking, Connor. If you don’t do as I say right now, you won’t sit down for a week. Move!’

Connor ran out the door. Lex listened to his footsteps going down the cliff stairs, and stared at Clark, who stared back.

Clark broke the silence. ‘Lex?’ he said. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘Don’t you dare pretend not to know, you filthy rapist.’

‘Lex!’

‘Back up and sit on that chair and don’t move. Do it! Now!’

‘Lex, if you’d just explain….’

‘I’m going to call Mercy and Hope. They’ll fly one of my copters here. You can get dressed properly, but that’s all. Then we’re going to the airport and boarding my jet. We’re going back to the Fortress, where you will ask your father what he did to you, to turn you into the monster you are now. If he can fix you, you can come home and take up your role as Connor’s and Lena’s father, though you will never touch me again. If you can’t be fixed, then I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I do know we’re going to be enemies until the end of time. Go! Put some clean clothes on. Is that enough explanation for you? Good. Then shut up and do as I say, or as God is my witness, I’ll shoot you again.’

*****

They got Clark on board the jet, tied up in chains made of Green Kryptonite. Connor insisted on coming along to help, and though at first Lex raged and stormed that such a thing would happen over his dead body, in the end he gave in, and was glad of the presence of his son. 

Connor wasn’t as strong as Clark yet, but he was already stronger than any human, and he had the advantage of not being affected by any form of Kryptonite that they’d tested yet. Also, Lex was reasonably certain that even this version of Clark – whatever that was – would not want to harm his own son. Connor’s threat to fly alongside the plane even if Lex forbade it was the final tipping point.

Lex sat straight across from Clark, with only the width of the plane between them, but with his gun loaded and drawn. Connor sat up front with the pilot when they first took off, but when they were well airborne, he came back and joined his parents. He looked at Lex’s morose face, and then at Clark. ‘Daddy,’ he said to Clark, very softly.

Connor had a variety of forms of address for Lex. Lex was ‘Mama’ when he wanted his particular attention, or when he felt especially affectionate. He called Lex ‘Dad’, or ‘Father’, when he was being more formal. Sometimes, he even called him ‘Daddy’, though that was rare. But Clark was always ‘Daddy’. To hear his beloved son call Clark ‘Daddy’ on this occasion tore at Lex’s heart.

‘Daddy!’ said Connor again. Clark looked up, his eyes dark with pain. ‘How could you hurt Dad? How could you?’

‘Connor, I don’t know if….’ Lex began. But Connor turned to him, his face surprisingly adult and rigid with anger. 

‘I need to know, Dad. I need to know why my Daddy could hurt you. I don’t need to be… brushed off and sent to my room.’

‘I know, baby,’ said Lex. ‘But I don’t know if you’d like the answer you might get, if Clark chooses to give it. He gave me reasons, and they hurt more than the physical pain.’

‘I’m sorry, Lex,’ said Clark.

‘Don’t! Don’t start that, because it means nothing. Talk to your son --- our son. Explain to our child why you chose to abuse me. He needs to hear you. I’d rather not, if you don’t mind.’

‘I can`t explain it to anyone, even myself,’ said Clark. ‘It was like I couldn`t control myself. Like… I was watching myself from a distance, doing things I`d never thought I could do. Things I never wanted to do.’

‘That`s reassuring. I’m glad you didn`t want to do things like that to me. Should I be grateful, or something? Should I be amazed at your previous vast amount of self control?’

‘Dad,’ said Connor, gently. ‘Isn`t Daddy supposed to be talking to me?’

‘Yes,’ said Lex. ‘Sorry.’ He moved away, sitting closer to the cockpit of the plane. He made himself relax a little, staring at Connor’s profile, tuning out what he was saying to Clark. 

Connor was good, he thought. Connor loved him, and needed him. He remembered that time, years ago, just after Connor’s birth, when they’d been on the run from almost the entire world, it seemed. They’d been looking for the crystals to stop Jor-El’s plot to change the Earth to suit himself, and Connor had been Lex’s only constant companion and confidant. He’d told Connor everything, all his hopes and fears and dreams, not realizing then that the baby could understand every word, and would remember them, with the total accuracy of a recording. 

One night he’d said, ‘I’m not a good man, Connor. I try, but I always fail. But your other father, your daddy, Clark. He’s a good man. He can raise you the way you should be raised. He can preserve you from evil.’

Now what? If Clark could do this to him, they were all doomed. But for himself – had he really deserved such treatment? Perhaps he’d done something so vile that he’d made Clark hate him, though he couldn’t think what. Yes, he spent time on his own business, but his heart and soul were constantly with his family. 

What was his family now, but a ruin and a desolation? 

God, he thought. That’s what happens when you relax, Lex Luthor. You go to pieces, and your world falls apart around you. He got to his feet, and moved about the cabin restlessly for a moment, until his heart stopped aching. Then he stopped by a window, and stared at the clouds below. It reminded him of that day, so many years ago, when he’d been kidnapped by his father’s goons. That day, he had orchestrated an escape, and had ended up on Thetis Island. If only he’d let the goons take him, he wouldn’t be in this situation now. Perhaps his life would be better, he thought. Perhaps his father was right, and he was incapable of running his own life. 

He felt a little hand tug at his jacket, and looked down into his son’s beautiful face. ‘We’re almost at the Fortress, Dad,’ said Connor. ‘The pilot needs us to all sit down, now.’

 

*****

It shouldn’t have been possible, but there it was – The Fortress was even more cold and forbidding than usual. The great spires of ice rose above them, making Lex feel more vulnerable than he ever had on one of his previous visits. Was this truly because the Fortress had frozen even more solidly, or because on those visits Clark had been a trusted ally, and now he had none – unless he counted Connor, who it seemed should not be counted out. Clark was silent, as they marched him through the gateway in chains, but Jor-El boomed out, ‘What is the meaning of this outrage?’

‘That was my question,’ said Lex. ‘When we came to see you earlier today, Clark was himself – my friend and lover. When we got home, he…’ Lex glanced down at Connor, who was standing close beside him. How could he describe what Clark had done to him, with their son listening? ‘Clark turned violent and abusive, without warning. He attacked me in ways I will not describe here, with an innocent child present.’

‘That would be me, Grandfather. I am Kon-El, son of Lex Luthor and Kal-E, and an innocent child. Do you remember me? Because it seems you have forgotten who I am.’

‘I remember you,’ said Jor-El. ‘Why do you think I’ve forgotten you?’

‘I remember my birth. I remember everything. You split my father, Kal-El, into two people. One of them is my Daddy. The other one was cruel, and filled with hate. He hurt my mother, Lex Luthor. You have put them back together, haven’t you? Kal-El is no longer my daddy. That’s why I think you’ve forgotten me, because you did such an evil thing, and we have suffered for it.’

‘No,’ said Jor-El. ‘I didn’t join the two Kal-El’s.’

‘Then you let the Other do it for you.’ said Lex.

‘I did,’ said Jor-El. ‘They belong together. They are two halves of the same whole.’

Clark raised his head for the first time. ‘You are wrong,’ he said. ‘I hate the Other. He made me do things I would never do. I love Lex, and I was forced to watch as he assaulted him. You must split us up again, because I cannot live like this.’

‘But he is part of you,’ said Jor-El. ‘You need to know that. You need to be whole, again.’

‘I would rather die,’ said Clark. 

‘You cannot die, Kal-El. Not as long as you live here, on this planet with a yellow sun. Not for many ages of time, at least. You cannot die, but you must not live forever, so divided from your entire self.’

‘I cannot live like this, with him controlling me, don’t you understand?’

‘Then you must learn to accept him, and control him,’ said Jor-El.

‘He won’t listen to me. I was unable to stop anything he did or said.’

‘That’s because he grew strong, living here in the ice with me. With every visit, he grew stronger and colder and angrier. You must tame him, or he will kill you.’

*****  
Lex had been dealing for some time with an increasing amount of pain in his gut, but he was determined to stick this out until some kind of conclusion. At Jor-El’s words, he suddenly knew how he could handle this. He forced himself to turn and look at Clark.

‘I think your father is right,’ he said.

‘Lex? What are you saying? Whose side are you on?’

‘My side, ultimately, but much as it pains me to admit, your father is right. I know about the dark side, about the Shadow. The Shadow can never be killed, never be defeated even, but it can be controlled. We were wrong, Clark, to attempt to chain him here, in the cold and the dark, where his power could grow. That’s how he grew strong, broke out, and took you over.’

‘What do you expect me to do? Accept him? Accept what he did to you, what he made me watch?’

‘No! Never. But you need to accept that he is part of you, and understand him. We all have our Shadows. I know about my own evil impulses, so I can keep them under control, I hope. That’s why I can help you.’

‘You will, Lex? You’ll forgive me, and help me?’

Lex took a deep breath. It hurt to breathe, but he needed the oxygen, before taking this plunge. ‘Yes!’ he vowed. ‘If you can defeat him, and control him, we can be together again. It will take a while, but I can do it. I’ve forgiven my father, in spite of all he’s done, and continues to do, so I can forgive you. It wasn’t really your fault, after all.’

‘It was my fault,’ said Clark. ‘It was the evil side of me, but it was me, still, though I hated it. What do we do now?’

Lex turned to Jor-El. ‘You must separate them,’ he said. ‘Then Clark must defeat the Other, so they can be joined together properly.’

‘Very well,’ said Jor-El, with rather ill grace. ‘I hope that you are right.’

‘So do I,’ said Lex.

Clark began to divide down the middle, like an amoeba, self-propagating. When at last the Other stood beside him, he lifted his head, to give them all a sneer. ‘You’ve been talking about me, as if I wasn’t there,’ he said.

‘You’re not here,’ said Lex. ‘Not really. You’re just a figment of Clark’s imagination. His evil imagination.’

‘Ah, yes. The Shadow. Is that what you think I am? No, I’m the real Kal-El. And what about you? Did I turn you into the real you, with my punishing dick? You whimpered, did you know that? Like a little girl.’

‘And what do you know about little girls, and their whimpers?’ asked Lex, over Clark’s snarl of outrage.

‘Less than he knows about little boys.’

‘You expect me to accept this monster as part of myself? He’ll never be me!’ screamed Clark.

‘I need you to defeat him. Prove he’s not you, Clark. Then we’ll talk.’

Clark leapt on the Other Clark, and they rolled together, out the Fortress gateway, out into the tundra. Their fight lasted untold ages, or perhaps it was over in a heartbeat. Glaciers were reduced to snowballs and polar bears fled in terror. But at last, Clark held the Other by the throat, and choked him into unconsciousness. He dragged him before Lex, and flung him to the ground at his feet. ‘I don’t want to merge with this again,’ he said. ‘But I owe you whatever you ask in reparation. Do you really want him back?’

‘No. I don’t,’ said Lex. ‘But it’s the only way. We need him under our eye, where we can monitor his behaviour.’

‘As you wish,’ said Clark. ‘Father, make us one again. But I must be in control this time.’

‘That’s up to you, not me,’ said Jor-El. ‘But you are one, again, and may the best man win.’

Lex drew a deep breath of triumph as Clark and his Shadow joined together, and then the Fortress floor seemed to rise up to meet him. The last thing he heard was Clark’s cry of alarm, ‘Lex! You’re bleeding!’

*****

Lex awoke, feeling fuzzy and incoherent, as if he’d been drinking too much, without being completely hung over. ‘Clark?’ he said, peeling open his eyes, and reaching across the bed. The resulting sharp pain brought it all back to him. ‘God,’ he added, shutting his eyes again quickly against the truth.

‘Dad. You’re awake. Do you feel….’

‘I feel too much,’ said Lex. ‘I want to pass out again, mercifully, but I guess that’s impossible now. Where are we, by the way?’

‘Still in the Fortress. Grandmother is taking care of you.’

‘Lara? Thank God for small mercies. I couldn’t stomach Jor-El right now.’

‘She says you’ll live.’

‘Too bad.’

‘Mama?’

‘I’m sorry, Connor. I’m feeling bitter right now. Where’s your… father?’

‘Daddy went away for a while. He said to tell you he loves you, and that he’ll be back when you can bear to look at him, and that he’ll prove his love for you with every breath from his body. That’s an exact quote.’

‘I’m sure it is,’ said Lex.

There was a soft whining just outside the door. ‘Is that Joy?’ asked Lex.

‘Yes. I brought her to you, because she was pining. I brought one of her puppies, too. Do you want to see them?’

‘Of course,’ said Lex.

Connor let them in the room. The puppy bounded around, investigating every nook and cranny. Joy ambled up to Lex’s bed, sniffed him all over and sat down beside him to be petted and crooned over. She was more sedate than she had been 8 years ago, but was still young, thought Lex. He could count on Joy for a few more years.  


***The End***

**Author's Note:**

> This story deals with rape as rape. It involves Clark raping Lex, but not in the sense of Clark 'fucking Lex into submission' because Lex is a jerk and deserves it, and besides he really wanted it. If you like that kind of thing -- well that's the kind of thing you like, but please go elsewhere to find it. Thanks.
> 
> ETA: I wrote this story in response to another story in which Clark raped Lex and then the rape was brushed off as 'violent sex' and Lex ended up cuddled with Clark and they lived happily ever after. Which is bullshit in my opinion. It seemed very clear to me that the scene in this other story was rape, or very close to it. So, I wrote this story in response, though I cheated a bit by making it Clark's 'evil twin' who committed the rape instead of Clark himself as in the other story. If you don't like this scenario, fine. But it's what I wrote and I have no personal regrets about it. I tolerate criticism, but it has no effect on me, and I'm not about to rewrite any damned story because someone doesn't like it. So, if you write a long critique addressed to me, you are wasting your time. Go read something else, or write your own story as I did. Thanks.


End file.
